Every Day
by LookCloser2
Summary: Lucas and Peyton seem to have it all - once high school sweethearts, they are now married with a beautiful daughter. But life is not as perfect as it seems. When tragedy strikes, how will Lucas cope? Brucas
1. Different Paths

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Every Day

The bright red numbers on his alarm clock blinked at him, over and over. The four switched to a five and Lucas sighed and rolled over.

"Lucas?" His wife murmured beside him, "It's 3:45 in the morning. What are you doing up?"

"Shhh. I had a bad dream. Go back to sleep," he whispered. But she was already asleep again, a wisp of golden hair brushing her cheek as she breathed softly. He brushed it back from her face and laid a gentle kiss on her temple before climbing out of bed and pulling on his shoes.

There was already someone at the rivercourt when he reached it. He was a few feet away before he saw that it was Brooke, huddled on the bleachers in the darkness.

"Brooke?" Lucas inquired quietly. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep," she replied softly, looking up at him.

"Yeah. Me neither." Lucas took a seat beside her and she shifted over to make room for him.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Brooke broke it. "Do you believe in fate, Luke?" Her voice was soft and vulnerable and slightly husky, as though she had been crying. After all that had happened between them, he was surprised that she still trusted him enough to open up to him. But perhaps it was because of all they had been through together that had made them that way with each other.

"I believe there's always a reason behind things," he spoke softly and slowly. "Sometimes, late at night, when I can't sleep, like tonight, I come out here and lay on the blacktop and watch the stars. It's like all the answers are up there, waiting for us to come and grab them, only we can't." He looked at her and he saw she was crying now, silent tears running down her cheeks.

"They say the great kings of the past are up there, watching over us," Brooke smiled sadly through her tears.

"You got that from the Lion King," grinned Lucas, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him, comfortingly. "I remember the first time we watched that together."

"Yeah. At your house the night of our first date, after Peyton left." Ah, there it was. The name that meant so much to both of them and that both had avoided mentioning. Brooke looked at him. "She wouldn't like to know that you're here, with me. It's not fair to her."

For the second, or twentieth, time that night, Lucas sighed. "I love her. I really do. But sometimes it's just too much, you know? Like it was a long time coming, but then it happened too fast."

"Yeah, I know." Brooke was silent for a moment. "Do you ever wonder, Luke, what might have happened if we had chosen different paths?"

Lucas looked at her, serious and with an unidentifiable pain in his eyes. To Brooke, it looked almost like regret. He lifted his hand from his lap to cup her face and wiped a lingering tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Every day," he whispered.

***********************

_Lucas smiled as he watched his wife sleep_. His wife_, he thought. It was hard to believe. Just several hours earlier, he had been on a plane flying over the country, his thoughts a tumble. He had been ecstatic, of course, because the Cobras had just won the championship. He had been sad, just a little bit, that Keith was not there to see the game – that he would never be there again. He had been excited, as he fingered the engagement ring hidden deep in his pocket. He had been anxious, just in case she didn't love him as much as he loved her. But he had known, above everything, that this was the right choice. And it was the only choice, too, when you were Lucas and Peyton and you were destined to be together forever and you had true love always._

_And so he smiled, and ran his long, tanned fingers through Peyton's golden locks as she dreamt of a life happier than her own past. Lucas knew, even then, that it wouldn't be easy. He knew that they were young, that they both had pasts and they both had dreams. But that didn't matter now, not as much. Because he was Lucas Scott and the woman sleeping beside him was Peyton Scott and the only emotions he felt right now were joy and contentment._

***********************

"Do you think," wondered Brooke, breaking Lucas out of his thoughts, "do you think that somewhere it did happen differently?" He looked at her, confused. "Like when you proposed to Peyton. That here, and now, she said yes, but somewhere else, in a different time, she said no?"

"Do you mean a different universe, Brooke? Is that what you're thinking?" Lucas asked carefully, utterly confused but trying to understand what she was attempting to tell him.

"No." stated Brooke. "Well yes, maybe. I don't know. It's just, how do we know that this is the life we were supposed to live, Luke? What if it went wrong somehow, and this isn't who we were supposed to be at all?"

"Do you believe that, Brooke?" Lucas asked quietly.

"I don't know. Maybe." She replied just as quietly.

"I think…" Lucas paused. "I think that we are allowed to become whoever we want to be. So the real question is, Are you happy with who you are, with your life and the people in it. I think that as long as we can remember that, we can find the answers we need."

Brooke nodded and leaned closer into Lucas' comforting side. He squeezed her shoulder and rubbed his cheek against her soft, brown hair. "I'm not happy, Luke," she whispered into the gentle breeze, and if Lucas hadn't been listening so closely to her he might not have heard it.

Lucas nodded sadly, hugged her tighter. "I know."

***********************

When Lucas woke the next morning the sheets beside him were cold. Getting up, he wandered into the kitchen to find Peyton making French toast. She was humming softly to herself as she dipped a slice of bread in egg yolks and dropped it into the frying pan. He watched her for a moment, stunned that the person in front of him had agreed to be married to him, forever. Or at least, until death did them part. But that was a long, long time away. Lucas came up behind her, wrapped his lanky arms around her waist and kissed her on the back of her neck. She spun in his arms, kissed him long and hard, the perfect start to a perfect morning after a long, sleepless night.

But then Lucas smelled the smoke coming from the frying pan and the baby started crying in her crib and the moment was ruined, as was the French toast. Lucas rushed off to get the baby, to comfort his crying daughter.

"Hey, hey, Daddy's here," soothed Lucas as he picked up the whimpering baby, felt her little body relax into his and her sobs subside as she recognized the man who loved her more than anything. "Shhh, it's okay now." He patted her gently on the back and carried her into the kitchen.

Peyton was crying. "I just wanted it to be perfect, Luke. I just wanted us to have a peaceful, family breakfast together. Why does it always have to be so hard?" And now Luke found himself comforting the other love of his life, rubbing his free hand in steady circles on her back as he held their baby tightly with the other.


	2. Broken Promises

Lucas sat with Brooke at the playground in the park and watched his toddler going down the slide. She slid off the end with a bump and Lucas stood up abruptly, with the look of an anxious parent prepared to defend his child from the dangers of the playground. But before he could take a step towards her, she had pushed herself upright again and run over to the ladder to try the slide again.

"She's adorable, Luke," said Brooke, watching Elizabeth play. "You're so lucky."

"Yeah, I am," replied Luke. But in his mind he wasn't so sure.

Peyton had been upset again last night. A band whose work she was currently producing had cancelled a recording session last minute, which had put Peyton in a grouchy mood. When she'd gotten home to relieve the babysitter, she'd found that Elizabeth's diaper had soaked through and she had needed a bath. Then there was dinner to take care of and Elizabeth had ended up covered in tomato sauce, with squashed peas clinging to various body parts. By the time Lucas had arrived home from the office, Peyton, too, was a mess. He had offered to re-bathe Elizabeth and tuck her in but, that done, the night had ended in a full out screaming match.

"I needed you tonight!" Peyton had screamed as soon as he walked out of the nursery. "Where were you?!"

"I was working," he replied calmly, not wanting to wake the sleeping toddler. "My meeting ran late and then I had to finish up some things. I came home when I could."

"Well, guess what, Lucas! You have a commitment to your family, too. I work all day, just like you, and then I come home and it's work, work, work all over again! What should I do, huh? Should I quit my job so that you can play the hardworking father taking care of his family and I can play the dutiful housewife? Is that what you want?"

"No, that's not what I want, Peyton!" he burst out, frustrated. "I want us to be a family. I want us to spend time together like we used to. But we have to pay for Elizabeth's clothes and shoes and books. We need to eat, Peyton! I make good money at my job and it sucks that I have to spend so much time away from you and my daughter, but I can't change that!"

"I can't do this anymore, Luke!" Peyton yelled angrily, breaking down in to tears. "I just can't."

He had slept on the couch that night. When he woke up the next morning, Peyton was gone.

"Brooke," Lucas asked suddenly, shifting his eyes off of Elizabeth on the slide to look at his reliable friend. "Do you believe in love anymore?"

Brooke looked over at him curiously. "Sure I do. You love Elizabeth, don't you? I can see it, when you watch her. It's the kind of love where you would do anything just to keep her safe, to keep her yours. And I love you, because you're my friend and you've always been there for me and I know you always will be. There's that kind of love, too."

Lucas nodded slowly. "But what about the other kind of love, Brooke?" he asked, and his voice sounded as though his heart was broken. "Not the love for your children or your friends but…" He trailed off.

Brooke watched him carefully. "Is this about you and Peyton?" she asked quietly.

Lucas nodded again. "I feel like I'm losing her, Brooke. And I don't know what to do about it. She was screaming again last night. She accused me of not being there for her, for Elizabeth."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a wail from the playground. Lucas tore his eyes away from Brooke to see Elizabeth crumpled on the ground, at the bottom of the slide. He rushed over, Brooke on his heels, and gathered his little girl into his arms. "Hey, it's okay now, baby," he whispered into her soft, blonde curls. "Daddy's got you now. You just fell down and got scared, didn't you? You're okay, honey. It'll all be okay."

"You're a good father, you know that, right?" Brooke demanded gently, as Luke dried Elizabeth's tears with his shirt. "Elizabeth loves you. And Peyton does, too. Just give her time. She's used to people leaving her when she finally allows herself to open up to them. You should know that better than anyone, Luke. Just make sure she knows you're there."

Lucas smiled, for the first time since they had reached the playground. "Thanks, Brooke. You're a good friend, you know that."

"Hmm, I try," laughed Brooke with a shrug. "Come on, let's go get some icecream. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Elizabeth?"

***********************

There was a message on the machine when Lucas and Elizabeth arrived home.

"_Hi, Luke," _came Peyton's tired voice. _"One of the band managers called and they need me in New York for a few days. I'm on my way to the airport now. I'm sorry about the things I said last night; I've just been really tired and stressed out lately. I'll call you when I get to New York."_

She called two hours later and Lucas answered with an annoyed, "Hello?"

"Hi, it's me," replied Peyton. "Did you, um, did you get my message?"

"You can't just take off like that, Peyton!" hissed Lucas, with two hours, or more likely weeks, worth of pent up frustration. "What about Elizabeth? What about me? You'll be gone almost a week and I find out from the answering machine? It's called communication, Peyton."

"Yes, and it goes both ways, Lucas," came the biting reply. "You didn't call me last night to say you'd be working late. You never call. You get up in the middle of the night to go for long walks but you can't even find the words to tell me what's going on? Do you think I don't notice, Lucas? Do you think I don't know when I wake up in the middle of the night and you're gone and the sheets are cold beside me? Are you –" Her voice broke. "Are you having an affair, Lucas?"

"What?! How could you even think that?!" Lucas was flabbergasted, angry that she'd even think that he would do that, could do that, to her and Elizabeth. "Are you seriously asking me that, Peyton?"

"None of those words were no, Lucas." Peyton voice was so low, so even, that it was almost a monotone.

"No." said Lucas. "No, I'm not." And his voice was cold.

"I'll be home in a few days. After that, I think we should look into a separation."

"Are you telling me you want a divorce? Is that what this is, Peyton? A divorce?" Lucas' voice was quiet, angry but controlled.

"No. I'm saying I need some space. I need some time."

"What happened to us, Peyt?" He was calm again, regretful even. "We aren't the people we were in high school. What happened to Lucas & Peyton, True Love Always?"

There was silence, and when Peyton spoke it was just as slow, just as wishful. "We grew up, Luke. And sometimes the dreams you have in high school don't come true in the real world. It's time we accepted that. Our love was real back then, and maybe it still is, but we made a promise that we couldn't keep, Luke. Nothing lasts forever. It's time to grow up."

"What about our daughter, Peyton? Where does she figure into all this?"

"Tell her I love her, Luke. I would never do anything to hurt her." There was a click.

"Peyton?" Lucas asked softly, to the dead line. "I love you. Do you love me, anymore?"

***********************

"Just like that, she said she wanted to separate?" Haley asked over a cup of hot tea. With his mother at sea and his marriage on the rocks, Luke sought solace at his best friend's kitchen table.

"Basically. Only with a little more yelling and a few choice words."

"Luke, you're my best friend and you know I love you, but I have to ask you this. Did you cheat on her?"

"No." Lucas hung his head sadly. "And you know what's worse? I almost wish I had, so that we could resolve it and fix it and move on. But now, how can I move on knowing she doesn't trust me when I didn't even do anything wrong? How can we move on, when every conversation ends in tears or a fight? I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Lucas," said Haley gently, trying to make him look at her, "What do you want? Do you think that a separation might be good, help you both see things clearer? Just tell me, what do you want?"

"What do I want?" Lucas asked, slowly lifting his sad, blue eyes to meet her worried, brown ones. "I want Peyton back."

"Luke –" Haley began. And then she was cut off by Lucas' vibrating cell phone. It would be a long, long time before Haley ever got to complete that sentence.

"Hello?" Luke asked, and his voice was high, panicky, because he recognized that number as his own and the only people at home were Elizabeth and the babysitter. "What happened? Is everything okay? Where's Elizabeth? Did something happen to her?"

"Mr. Scott, slow down," the babysitter replied, drawing a hiccupy breath. She had been crying, Luke thought. Now he knew that something was wrong. "Elizabeth's fine. It's about your wife. She – she was in a car accident. In New York. I think you should fly out there right away. That's what the doctor said."

"Okay, thank you, Kenzie. Hold tight, I'm coming home now." He gathered up his coat and shoes. "Is the baby still asleep?"

"Yes, she's in her crib, Mr. Scott."

"Good, good," Lucas muttered distractedly. "I'll be there in five."

"Haley, I have to go. Thanks for the tea." Lucas spoke as he rushed towards the door.

"Wait, Luke. What's wrong? What did Kenzie say?"

"It's Peyton, Hales. There's been an accident."

"Luke…" Haley didn't know what to say. As if his life wasn't already mixed-up enough, and now this. "Hold on, Luke. Let me grab my jacket. I'm coming home with you."

***********************

Lucas rushed into the airport, Elizabeth sleeping in his arms and Haley anxious at his side. Brooke ran up to them, panting slightly, just barely maintaining her composure. "I got your text and I came as fast as I could. I bought the tickets online. We have to go to Gate B4. They're boarding the plane in 25 minutes. We'll be in New York within two and a half hours."

Luke looked at her, nodded, glad that she knew how to take charge in an emergency, willing to follow her lead. "Okay," Haley spoke up. "Lucas, I'm going to leave you with Brooke, okay? I'm sorry that I can't come, but I have Jamie and…" She trailed off guiltily.

"Go, Tutormom," Brooke broke in. "Your family needs you. We'll be fine. We'll all be fine."

Lucas nodded a goodbye, hoisted Elizabeth higher in his arms, her head slumped on his shoulder, and set off down the terminal after Brooke.


	3. Nightmare

Peyton is dizzy. She thought that there might have been lights flashing all around her and she remembers somebody screaming, but that has all faded into the background now. She remembers being carried

and then the sensation of flying although, even now, she knows that she must be remembering wrong. Only angels can fly, angels like her mothers. And then she remembers her mothers. Both of them.

Together. Now a steady beeping is interrupting her thoughts but she can't really move and there's a blinding white light from behind her eyelids. It hurts, she knows that it hurts, or at least that it did, but

slowly that is fading into the background, too. She hears voices again, and now they're shouting, "We're losing her! We're losing her!" but she doesn't know what they're losing or why, or even who they are.

The beeping is fainter now, now loud again, now faint, and it's not steady anymore. She feels herself floating again, almost flying, and this time she knows it's real. Peyton can see herself, lying there on a white

bed in a white room with lots of white lights and people in white coats surrounding her. There's a lot of blood, and she doesn't really know why, and she wonders if Lucas knows why. She can't see him

anywhere. She really didn't mean to upset him, she was just tired and scared that their love wasn't enough anymore. She did love him though, even if she'd forgotten to tell him last night, or the night before

that, or maybe for the last few months or so. She wondered if he knew that, too. And then she's floating again, right out the window, away from her cold, still self in the white room. And she pictures Lucas and

she thinks of Elizabeth and how much she loves both of them and then she pictures her mothers and knows that she is going to see them again, soon now. She's floating still, the Earth falling away beneath

her, and she just wants to reach that white light from behind her eyelids because she knows Anna and Ellie are behind it, waiting to be a family again. And that's when she remembers how dizzy she was and

that she's not dizzy anymore. Far below her, the operating room is very, very quiet.

***********************

It's too late. They got there too late. Lucas knows that as soon as the doctor steps into the OR waiting room. "I'm sorry, we did everything we could," says the doctor, but Lucas isn't listening anymore. He breaks down in Brooke's arms and she holds him, rubs his back, even though tears are streaming down her face, too, and they won't stop.

"I did love her," he cries, soaking Brooke's shoulder. "She was mad at me, but I really did love her."

"I know, Luke," soothes Brooke. "I know."

Elizabeth is asleep in a hospital chair and dimly Lucas knows that he will have to tell her that her mother is dead, that she's never coming back. But his brain shuts down before he registers the word, dead, my wife is dead, and in a few years, Elizabeth will have been too little to remember this, anyway. She probably won't even remember her mother at all. And then Lucas cries even harder and Brooke is there to hold him even tighter.


	4. Happy At Last

**Thank you to all those who reviewed! Glad you liked the story :)**

"Dad?" yelled Elizabeth as she careens down the stairwell, landing on each step as though an elephant, and through the hall to the kitchen. "I'm going to Jamie's. Okay? Bye."

"Hold it, hold it," said Lucas, looking up from where he sat grading papers at the kitchen table. His glasses slid down his nose. Elizabeth stood halfway out the back door, her hand frozen on the doorknob. "When will you be back and how much homework do you have?"

"Dad," groaned Elizabeth. "It's bad enough that you're my English teacher. Do you really have to treat me like a baby, too?"

"Elizabeth…" warned Lucas.

"Fine." She turned in a huff to look at him. "My homework's done, my English essay for Tuesday is done and Haley will probably invite me for dinner."

"Okay," replied Lucas, but she was already gone. He smiled, because he remembered being seventeen and to him, it didn't feel as though it was that long ago. He and Peyton had gotten married after their first year of college and she had gotten pregnant shortly thereafter. Elizabeth was born on their second anniversary. When Elizabeth was two-and-a-half, the accident had happened. He didn't really talk about it anymore, and Elizabeth rarely asked. There had been a few years when her curiosity had gotten the best of her, and she would hound him for stories and pictures but that had stopped by her early years of high school. He supposed that it was hard for her to imagine a woman she really didn't remember at all, and he knew just as much that she saw how painful it was for him to talk about her.

He picked up the phone. "Brooke," Lucas declared when he heard her cheery _"Hello?"_, "What are you doing for dinner tonight? I have a roast in the refrigerator and Elizabeth just told me she won't be home for dinner. I can't eat it all myself."

"Well, looks like I'm having roast, then," replied Brooke, and he could hear the smile in her tone.

"Great. See you at seven." He hung up, and realized, as usual, that he couldn't wait until seven o'clock. Brooke had a way of turning a simple dinner invitation into a night he would remember, a way of talking to Elizabeth when Lucas couldn't get through to her, a way of lightening the mood in the Scott household when it became just a little too broody. He didn't know what he would have done those last fourteen, almost fifteen, years without her.

When Peyton died, Lucas' life fell apart. He called in sick to the office for weeks, spent the days in bars and the nights sprawled across his couch, if he made it home at all. More than once, he woke up at three or four in the morning draped across the steering wheel of his car in the bar's parking lot. Karen came home to help with Elizabeth and Haley did her best to talk to him, but it was Brooke who had gotten him through those first four months.

"Brooke," Lucas had moaned drunkenly one night, as they staggered through his doorway.

"Let's get you to bed." She had found him at the bar, car keys in his hand and too drunk to stand upright. "All right, Boozy," she had told him. "Come on, I'm taking you home." They made it through the doorway and he had collapsed sideways onto his bed.

"Brooke, I feel lost…I don't know what to do without her." Brooke's heart had broken at his vulnerability, his complete and utter grief. "The bed is spinning," he had mumbled next, dazedly gripping the bedspread as though that would make everything slow down and be all right again.

"All right," she had replied, gripping his shoulders and looking into his eyes. "Do you remember when I started Clothes Over Bros? It was right after we broke up and I was trying to mend my broken heart by focusing on my work. And you need to do the same right now. You need to go out there and become the best person, the best writer, that you can be. And it's going to be hard, but you need to do it for Elizabeth, and you need to do it for yourself. And if you ever need a hand, or if you ever forget how to go on, I'll be right here next to you, to remind you, okay?"

She had kept that promise in the next years. When Elizabeth had started kindergarten and was too afraid to let go of Luke's hand that first day, Brooke was there to tell her all the fun things she could do at school and the one who promised to be right outside waiting at three o' clock. When Elizabeth was seven, Lucas had quit his job so that he could be home more. Brooke was the one who arranged for his position as an English teacher at Tree Hill High School, a job that followed school hours. If Elizabeth fell down and scraped her knee, Brooke would be there to kiss it and make it better. And when she kissed a boy for the first time, Brooke was there to listen and tell her about her own first kiss, with a boy named Lucas on the elementary school blacktop. When Elizabeth started high school, it was Brooke who helped her practice for cheer auditions and when she got hurt by a boy for the first time, Brooke was there with a carton of icecream and two spoons.

Most of all, Lucas was thankful that Brooke had been around for the teenage years. With Luke and Peyton for parents, Elizabeth was a broody, blonde teenager, content to spend half the day holed up in her room, reading and blaring music. Brooke knew how to handle her, how to reason with her, when all else that Lucas could think of failed. Fifteen years ago, it had been Peyton that Lucas couldn't imagine living without. Even now, he was still amazed that he had managed to. But it was Brooke who he now depended on more than anyone, Brooke to whom he told his deepest fears and dark secrets, on whose shoulder he cried when it got to be too much and with whom he shared a drink when he couldn't handle the loneliness any longer. But in all those years, it had only strayed beyond the borders of friendship once.

Both were wary of it, he knew, of bringing up the hidden memories of their past and changing their friendship so that they couldn't go back to what it was before. They were afraid of another love triangle, although that could never really happen, as the third person was gone forever. But they felt her there, felt her presence as strongly as though she were standing next to them, waiting for something inevitable.

The first time, the only time, they had crossed that unspoken boundary was shortly after Peyton died.

They had come home from New York together but had barely spoken a word. They sensed each other's thoughts, understood what the other wanted to say but couldn't, settled into that familiarity of silent togetherness as their world collapsed beneath them. Elizabeth had fallen asleep halfway on the car ride from the airport so Brooke had unpacked the car as Lucas carried his sleeping, motherless daughter to bed.

"Thank you," he'd whispered when he'd come downstairs again. The luggage was piled by the door and Brooke was sitting on the couch flipping through a photo album. He sat down beside her to look.

"We've been best friends since we were little," whispered Brooke, staring at a picture of a laughing Brooke riding piggy-back on a laughing Peyton. They were about ten years old, dressed in matching overalls. She stroked the image gently with her fingertip, as though trying to reach back in time and touch the hand of her dead best friend.

Brooke turned the pages and slowly the girls got older; more makeup was piled onto their faces and their skirts got shorter. Various boys joined the photos now and the pictures were mostly of parties – house parties, beach bonfires, even a few dorm parties. She paused when she reached the ones that included Lucas. "Look, there's the Classic." Lucas pointed. "Rachel got Peyton drunk and dropped her off in my bed. I spent the entire night on the bathroom floor, holding Peyton's hair back as she threw up." With a soft chuckle, Lucas turned the page.

Brooke laughed at the next picture and her laugh was closer to a real laugh than any Lucas had heard since they'd left for New York. "I can't believe you took that!" cried Lucas, groaning in embarrassment.

"The glories of a camera phone," teased Brooke. "Come on, we walk in on you and Peyton in bed together in Honey Grove and I'm not supposed to take a picture? It was just too good to pass up! Besides, the covers were practically up to your necks."

But their almost-laughter died quickly at the next picture. "Do you remember this?" Brooke asked, smiling sadly. It was the picture from their last night at the rivercourt at the end of senior year.

"In four years, we're going to be right back here," murmured Lucas. "How could it all have changed so soon?" he burst out, angrily, to mask his sadness. "It wasn't supposed to be like this, Brooke! She was supposed to be with me forever. That's what True Love Always means! How could we have been so stupid?" His voice had taken on a dangerous tremble that was scaring Brooke. "Right back here…didn't we know that wasn't true? How could we look so happy in this picture when we knew years of friendship were coming to a close?"

Brooke hugged him tightly and rubbed his back. "I think," she began, "I think we needed to believe that it wasn't the end. How could we all have left, Luke, to fulfill our dreams, if we'd known that it meant never seeing each other again?" She laid her head against his shoulder, whispered, "But Luke, you can still have True Love Always. Just because Peyton's not here doesn't mean what you had wasn't real. It doesn't mean you can't still love her."

He turned to her then, saw the tears forming in her eyes, and before either of them could think twice, he caught her chin and he kissed her lips. She kissed him back, putting all the pain and fears and uncertainties of the last few days, of the last few years, even, into the kiss. He stood then, the photo album falling from their laps to the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist, their lips still connected, as he stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, Lucas careful to keep his weight off of her small frame.

"Do you love me?" he whispered, and she nodded.

"I always have, Luke." He was vulnerable before her and that only made her love him more. It was the rare occasion that he ever let people all the way in; usually, he just shut down inside himself. Brooke, too, built walls to protect herself, but she hid behind the exterior of a drunken party girl and, all too often, Tree Hill's most "friendly." Only with Lucas could she truly open up and be herself.

***********************

Brooke opened her eyes the next morning to find a sleepy Lucas watching her intently.

"Luke?" she questioned, wriggling out from his embrace. Then, the memories of the past few days came crashing down on her with a sudden realization of what had happened the night before. "Did – did we…" She paused, unsure.

Lucas nodded, a quick jerk of his head to confirm what she already knew.

"Luke…" she trailed off again. She opened her mouth to start again when Elizabeth's cry cut through the morning after tension.

They had gotten up to feed Elizabeth breakfast then, and Brooke excused herself from the table shortly after. They had never talked about that day, had just assumed that they were both in shock from Peyton's sudden death, still upset and lonely. They convinced themselves that that night had been about comforting each other and for fifteen years, they left it at that.

Lucas didn't know what was different about that night, the night they shared the roast. Maybe it was the amount of wine they had drunk. Maybe it was the fact that neither one had had a steady relationship for several months, and if both had stopped lying to themselves, for a whole lot longer than that. Maybe it was a combination of the two; a final acceptance of what they had lost all those years ago and an understanding, finally, of what they hadn't.

He knew that she was drunk. He could tell from the way she laughed a little too loud at his jokes, the unsteadiness of her hand as she poured him more wine, the way she let down her walls and let him in just a little more than usual. She was more vulnerable when she was drunk. But then again, so was he, and he had long ago passed his usual alcohol cut-off.

"So then," continued Lucas, tilting back in his seat, his empty plate in front of him on the dinner table, "I said, 'I'm really sorry, but you're the same age as my daughter.' And that's how the worst blind date in the history of the world ended – before it even started."

Brooke laughed, a hoarse guffaw. "Did you really say that?"

"Yep," grinned Lucas. "She didn't even make it out her front door before I turned and walked back to my car."

"Between the two of us, I'd say we've set the record for awful dates. Remember that woman who pinched Elizabeth's cheeks every time she saw her?"

Lucas chuckled. "Yes, and poor Elizabeth was twelve. She still shudders every time she hears the name Marion. But how about that guy who always sat outside your house and took pictures of you to give to you?"

"He was sweet…" argued Brooke.

"_Brooke_."

"Okay, okay, in a stalker-ish kind of way." She smiled. "Remember that woman you dated who never stopped talking about her ex-husbands?"

Lucas laughed. "Yeah, and she had four. But at least she wasn't still married, _Brooke_."

"Hey, not fair!" exclaimed Brooke. "I didn't _know_ that he was married and the second I found out I dumped his sorry ass."

"Yeah, except didn't you find out when his wife walked in on the two of you in bed together?" Brooke blushed at Lucas' comment.

"Sometimes I just wish I could meet one, normal, absolutely perfect guy," complained Brooke.

"Ya know," joked Lucas, "I'm a pretty perfect guy myself." The comment earned him a gentle shove. "Look," he added, standing up and gathering their dirty plates to carry to the sink. He motioned to hers, scraped clean, and stated, "I know how to cook a damn good meal."

"Well," Brooke said slowly, "It was okay…" She collected the wine glasses and near-empty wine bottle and carried them into the kitchen.

Following her, Lucas smirked. "And I know how to do the laundry, and I vacuum the house and I can fix a car –"

"And you are so modest and right now you're completely wasted –"

"And I'm an awesome basketball player and I totally heard one of Elizabeth's friends say I'm a DILF-"

"And you're – wait, what?" interjected Brooke.

"A Dad I'd like to –"

"Oh, ew." groaned Brooke.

"Ew?" frowned Lucas. "You don't think that I'm –"

"Lucas!" broke in Brooke.

"…that I'm sexy?" He turned suddenly and grabbed her wrists, pushed her up against the counter and kissed her, hard. He grazed his tongue along her lower lip before forcing it into her mouth. Dimly, he felt her respond, their tongues wrestling for control as he ground his pelvis into hers.

"Lucas?" she questioned softly as they broke apart, gasping for air. "What the hell was that?" Her tone stayed soft, surprised but not angry.

"Um, it was…"paused Lucas, before her lips met his again and he lost the ability to say anything at all.

***********************

He woke to the sound of creaking from the hallway. He gently lifted Brooke's head from his chest and silently slipped out of bed, locating his boxers on the floor and pulling them on. Elizabeth was tiptoeing through the hallway. Her glance was anxious when their eyes met.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Dad," she spoke rapidly. "Jamie and I were watching a movie and we fell asleep and Haley woke me up and told me to go home so you wouldn't be worried but –"

"Lizzie." Lucas broke in. "With that rambling I'd swear you were Haley's." he muttered, then added sharply, "If you miss curfew, you call. But I know that you were at Haley's and it was a mistake that won't happen again, so why don't you go to bed now."

Elizabeth nodded, then frowned as she looked over Lucas' shoulder into his room. "Dad…" she began. Lucas froze, knowing her next question. "Why is Aunt Brooke in your bed? Is she okay?"

Lucas nodded. "Yes, Elizabeth, she's okay."

"Well then, why's she…" She trailed off, noticing Lucas dressed only in boxers and quite sleepy, having just woken up. "Oh. Ew."

"Ew? Why does everyone keep saying that to me lately? Is it that awful to think of me as–" Lucas exclaimed, mildly affronted, only to be cut off by his daughter's cry of 'Dad!'.

Brooke stirred in her sleep, rolled over and then sat up drowsily. "Lucas?"

"It's okay, go back to sleep, Pretty Girl," spoke Lucas softly over his shoulder. Turning back to Elizabeth he stated, "Right into bed, okay? No computer, no texting anyone."

"Okay." Pausing shyly, she glanced up at her father. "Dad? I'm happy for you. For you and Aunt Brooke, both."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

***********************

When Lucas woke and rolled over the next morning, the sheets beside him were cold. For a moment his heart sank, before he heard the cheery morning chatter in the kitchen. Brooke and Elizabeth were at the breakfast table discussing Jamie's "hot, new friend" over hash and eggs.

"So then," continued Elizabeth, "His friend calls us to play basketball at the rivercourt. So we show up there and this guy is hot, trust me. And he looks at me and says, 'Hey, cutie, how's it going?' We played for a while and then Haley fed us dinner and the boys put in some lame comedy and after about ten minutes, I just passed out. And I woke up several hours later snuggled in Matt's lap on the couch. All three of us were completely dead to the world."

Lucas frowned. "You broke curfew because you were sleeping with a boy?" His voice was tinged with anger.

"Luke," warned Brooke.

"No, Brooke. Do you know what time she got home? Two-thirty in the morning. My seventeen-year-old was out until two-thirty in the morning and she didn't even call." The tips of his ears were turning red.

"I was at Jamie's!" cried Elizabeth. "Jeez, Dad, it's not like I was out at some bar hooking up with a guy." Lucas looked at Brooke sharply, a distinct image of Nikki, the "random bar slut," coming to his mind.

"I didn't tell her," murmured Brooke.

"Tell me what, Aunt Brooke? Dad, tell me what?"

Lucas grimaced and turned away to clear the dirty dishes. "Please just call next time, Elizabeth," Luke said softly. "And I want to meet this Matt kid, make sure he's okay for my baby girl." Elizabeth groaned and turned to Brooke, who smiled softly and shrugged. But the mood was light again, and for the first time in a long time, both Lucas and Brooke felt content.


	5. Everything Changes

**Thanks for all the reviews!!! Glad you are enjoying the story :)**

He wasn't expecting it. Three weeks had passed since the night they spent together and, aside from some shared kisses, little else had happened. This was their first official date and Brooke, as usual, was running late.

"Come in and make yourself at home, Luke," Brooke called from upstairs. He wandered into the living room, looked at the pictures on the mantel. A few were of Brooke as a little girl, the traditional professional portraits that Lucas was sure Victoria had dragged her to. One was of her with Peyton and his heart twinged just the slightest bit when he saw it. He wondered what Peyton would say if she could see Brooke and him now. He hoped she'd be happy for them. Most of the pictures were of Brooke, Lucas and Elizabeth. One was a picnic at the park, something they had done every Saturday until Elizabeth was twelve, and way too old to be having family picnics in the park. He recognized another as the Fourth of July a few years ago. His arm was around Brooke and their faces were lit up with the light of the fireworks they were watching. Elizabeth was nearby waving around a sparkler.

"Luke?" Brooke interrupted, calling down to him. "Can you come help me get a necklace on? I can't get it."

"Yeah, sure," he answered, coming up the stairs. He smiled when he saw her, beautiful as ever in a simple, black dress and strapped heels. "You look amazing," he told her, as she swept her hair off her neck.

"Thanks," she whispered shyly. The clasp slid into place. "I'll just be one more minute."

Lucas nodded. "Could I possibly use the bathroom?"

"Of course. You know where it is."

He might not have noticed except that the stick was sitting by the sink. He leaned closer, saw the two pink lines on it, and knew that everything had changed.

"Hey, Broody? You okay in there?" called Brooke. "I'm finally ready."

He walked out in a daze, the stick clutched in his hand. "Brooke." He looked her directly in the eyes, his voice soft and firm, demanding an answer. "Is this what I think this is?"

She froze, looked down, nodded slowly. A tear escaped the corner of her eye. "Hey, hey there, don't cry." Lucas rushed forward to take her in his arms as she began sobbing onto his shoulder.

"I was late and so I just figured, well, you know, I might as well take it." She mumbled into his shirt. "But I didn't – I never thought –" She broke off, still in tears.

"It's gonna be okay, Brooke." Lucas whispered into her hair. "I'll be there for our baby just like you were there for me and Elizabeth, okay? Shh, I've got you. It's okay." He rubbed her back until her sobs turned to whimpers and quieted.

"You're not mad?" she questioned, staring at his chest. Lucas took her by the shoulders and gently raised her chin.

"Surprised, yes." He spoke softly and slowly to make sure he got his point across. "And upset that we weren't more cautious. I mean, we both know how babies are made, Brooke. Plus, after that scare in high school…well, I promised myself I'd be more careful after that. But we're both grown adults now and we've already raised a great kid. So if you want this, I'm here for you, Brooke. We'll do it together."

She nodded. "I don't know what I want yet, Luke. I only found out a few hours ago." Brooke leaned close and nodded as he wrapped his arms around her. "We should go before we miss our reservation." She pulled back. "Now, look. I've made a mess of your shirt."

Lucas smiled. "It's fine, Brooke. But I was thinking, maybe we should stay in tonight. We can order in, watch a movie, have a quiet evening? Maybe we could talk a little?"

"That sounds good." Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Brooke timidly smiled.

Several hours later Lucas opened his eyes to see the credits scrolling across the television screen. Brooke was asleep on his lap and he shifted slightly to reach the remote and shut off the film. Then he tugged a blanket over them both and drifted back off to sleep, Brooke held tight in his embrace.

The light coming through the front window woke him up. He stretched and groaned softly; his entire side was pins and needles, the tingling result of Brooke collapsed across him all night long. She moved slightly, murmured, "Lucas?"

"I'm here," he whispered, rubbing her arm lovingly. She smiled in her sleep and burrowed in closer to his warm chest. Gently, he dislodged her so he could rid himself of the aches in his stiff body. Standing, he let out a long yawn and set off for the kitchen to cook breakfast, the imagined scent of bacon in his nose.


	6. We'll Be Happy Again

**This is the ending. I hope you all enjoyed my story and thank you to those who reviewed!**

"That's gross." declared Elizabeth as she walked into the kitchen and eyed Brooke's plate.

"Elizabeth, be nice," Lucas scolded, but he silently agreed.

"Hot fudge sauce and pickles on a peanut butter sandwich? No dad, that's disgusting."

Behind Brooke's back, Lucas winked at his daughter. "Lizzie, why don't you go upstairs and work on that English essay that I assigned?"

With a dramatic sigh, Elizabeth slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran up the stairs.

Beside him, tears were running down Brooke's face. "No, baby, no, she didn't mean it," Lucas stated anxiously. "Your sandwich looks delicious, yup, um, absolutely delicious." He gulped.

"Good enough that you want to try some?" Brooke questioned tentatively, her tears subsiding for a moment.

"Well, no." admitted Lucas with a small frown.

"See? Elizabeth was right. You think it's disgusting!" She burst into tears again. "You probably think I'm disgusting too, don't you, with my huge stomach and me sagging everywhere and my weird cravings in the middle of the night." She hiccupped, her body shaking with sobs and anger.

"No, no, you're not disgusting. You're perfect." He smiled, gently lifting her chin to look her in the eyes. "I could never think that you're disgusting. Never ever."

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course I do. You're my pretty girl."

***********************

Gently he laid a hand on her growing stomach. She placed her hand over his and whispered, "That's our boy in there."

"Our boy." Lucas repeated, smiling contentedly. "I like the sound of that." He pulled her closer as they cuddled on the couch and softly stroked her stomach.

Voices blared out from the black-and-white movie on the television. "Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win."

"She was pregnant." He said, out of the blue. Brooke turned to him, a question on her face. "Peyton. She was pregnant."

"How long have you known?" Brooke questioned disconcertedly.

"The doctor told me the night she died. I would have told you, Brooke, it was just…it was just too much."

"It was all too much," whispered Brooke, curling into Lucas' side on the couch. "I'm sorry," she added.

"Yeah, me too," Lucas responded. He looked down at her, his pretty girl, and laced her fingers between his own, gave a gentle squeeze. "I love you, you know." His voice was soft.

She smiled and laid a gentle kiss on their entwined hands. "I love you too, Lucas Scott."


End file.
